Downfeed continuous pulping apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSL TREATING THE SOLID PARTICLE COMPONENT OF A SOLID PARTICLE-LIQUID MIXTURE IN A GENERALLY UPRIGHT ELONGATED REACTION VESSEL HAVING INLET MEANS FOR FEEDING SOLID PARTICLES INTO SAID VESSEL ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF AND DISCHARGE MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID MIXTURE FROM SAID VESSEL ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL, THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS OF DOWN-FEEDING MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE SOLID PARTICLE COMPONENT THEREOF DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID VESSEL SUBSTANTIALLY INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MOVEMENT OF LIQUID IN SAID VESSEL, INCLUDING A SOLID PARTICLE DOWNFEEDING MEMBER MOUNTED AJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID VESSEL FOR GENERALLY VERTICAL RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT, SAID MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPOKELIKE OPERATING ELEMENTS WITH RELATIVELY FLAT BOTTOMS PROVIDING AN INTERRUPTED SURFACE EXTENDING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE FOR FREE PASSAGE OF SAID SOLID PARTICLES THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID SOLID PARTICLES INTO SAID VESSEL ABOVE SAID ELEMENTS, HYDRAULIC MEANS INCLUDING PISTON AND CYLINDER MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID MEMBER THROUGH A LIMITED DISTANCE RELATIVELY TO THE LENGTH OF SAID VESSEL TO ADVANCE SAID PARTICLES DOWNWARDLY BY EXERTING FORCE ONLY ON PARTICLES LOCATED ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID VESSEL PROGRESSIVELY TO COMPACT SAID PARTICLES AND TO ADVANCE THE MASS OF SAID PARTICLES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID VESSEL, LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID THERETO FOR UPWARD FLOW THEREOF THROUGH SAID DESCENDING PARTICLES, AND STRAINER MEANS SPACED UPWARDLY FROM SAID LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS A ND BELOW THE SAID SPOKE-LIKE OPERATING ELEMENTS FOR REMOVING LIQUID FROM SAID VESSEL.